A single wish
by littlegreengirl
Summary: The story about a girl and the man who has to kill her, as they travel towards the site of her death, what develops is?
1. Cold

Inspiration Song- David Jones Locker

A woman walks unsteadily through the snow, her breath like clouds forms puffs that dissipate a small ways behind her. Had she anyone to speak to she would comment on the coldness, how it clung to her skin like needles and stung her eyes and lungs but she has not, not ever.

Lament over such things as loneliness however were things she'd long since learnt the uselessness of and so she trudges on, not sure where her feet might take her and not caring for it wouldn't differ from any other place so far.

A flare of hatred for the cold harshness of the snow, so very much like the coldness of mankind in instances she knew far more of than she wished, tint her eyes so they resemble the black found in ink, ink that reflects like a mirror the petals of ice falling past them.

She blinks and quenches the feeling, not unlike smashing an unwanted bug like she has so many times before, reminding herself to never allow it.

Fear and sadness, hatred and resentment . . . loneliness, all of it shall never be allowed into her heart, she shall shield it forever, until death, from such feelings.

As a village comes into view she does however, despite years of training not to, feel that familiar pang of remembrance of things long past, memories best kept forgotten, locked up and erased.

Pillars of smoke rise from the huts, telling of the warmth shared inside yet at the image of welcoming faces, smiling over dinner she falls short. Afraid to walk in she drags her feet deeper into the village, so far that she doesn't stop until a flight of stairs are reached and in front of those stairs the smallest hut in the village.

Should she truly risk walking inside and ask for sustenance when she might get turned down? It would be too harsh a blow on her frail heart so there she remains standing, only a few moments away from being literally frozen to the ground.

Just then a man steps out from the hut, her breath hitches, has he come to turn her away? He stands proudly wearing robes of red and framed in strands of white is a face adorned with confusion. "Well" he says with a tone harsh but not unkind "are you gonna come in or not?" She thinks about it, there are so many risks in this and yet, she wouldn't rather freeze to death. The colour of his eyes don't bother her as she nods.


	2. Safe

The wind howls just outside the small flap of a door but the fire warms just enough so that the cold doesn't reach all the way inside, she has been given a bowl of hot soup and an extra blanket that hangs over her shoulders haplessly. No words describe accurately the warmth that spreads through her soul when she realizes that at least tonight she can rest easily. The darkness will be far away.

The man with dog ears, the two mikos and the little girl watch her carefully, all wondering why such a young one would be outside in this weather, and all by herself to boot. Since InuYasha is the boldest one, he is the first to ask.

"The heck where you doing out there alone?" She visibly flinches and starts shuddering, it quickly subsides however.

"What happened to the others?" Kagome continues. Have they perhaps frozen to death and that's why she reacted in such a way, honestly, InuYasha can be so insensitive.

Placing the bowl before her gently she ponders simply not answering them. It's not good to get involved but since she hasn't had to speak to people in so long she's forgotten how keen they are to ask questions.

Well, maybe just a little info can't hurt, they might throw her out if she doesn't talk after all. Or maybe she'll play mute, it has worked before but then, that time they took such pity on her she didn't get to leave for six months. Very well, she'll say something very little and not more.

"No others" and that will have to do as she picks up the bowl and starts sipping again.

Her voice is surprisingly soft and warm for someone who's just walked in from a snow storm, Kaede is not convinced. There is something about this girl that isn't right, traveling on such a night with no company and those eyes, so different from any other girl her age.

She waits until the strange female is asleep to ask Kagome if she sensed anything from her.

"Of course not!" is the reply and it leaves her thinking what else it could be.

InuYasha agrees in the sentiment that there is something off with the whole thing but he's less keen in believing she's some kind of demon in disguise.

Rin just sits quietly and thinks about how sad it all is, that she's all alone.

The temporary new addition to the small group of people curls up a little tighter in the ball she's made of herself and everyone agrees that tomorrow they'll ask her.


	3. Worried

It's been three months since that fateful day and winter is borderline over.

In the end she told them very little yet still more than she'd ever intended. It wasn't good for her to have that soft spot for people and now just like all other times she wishes she didn't have it.

Now they know her name, her age, her state of being orphaned and that she never stays in one place for all too long. They've yet to find out why though, and that's good, she intends to leave without them ever knowing that.

They shouldn't know any "why"s or "how"s.

Tenko sighs and watches the sky, soon it'll be warm enough for her to not risk death when sleeping outside, that's when she'll leave and she'll do it without a word. Just like she always has and always will, until she can walk no more.

The birds are chirping in the trees nearby and men are out prodding the earth to see if the ground frost has disappeared yet. Everything is full life and light, things are starting to grow again and she doesn't like this season. It has a way of making false hope grow in her chest where such things are uninvited.

If she could stay she would though but it'll mean nothing but pain in the end, for all involved. She can't hate them so as to put them through such a thing.

She shouldn't hate anyone, she reminds herself.

The biting cold is leaving the air little by little and she somehow doesn't want it to go, and still she does.

Wants it to because she has to leave, the sooner the better, especially since she's starting to grow used to smiling along with the little girl Rin.

Doesn't because it's harder to keep the feelings at bay when warmth is always constant and everything around her becomes a reminder of things she can never have.

She is the constant in this ever changing world, the thing that must not change. The eternal winter with a heart of ice and snow.

For the sake of everyone and everything.

Rin catches her with staring into space for a longer period of time than deemed normal for thinking. As always she looks upon her with concern and as always it's nothing she'll ever know.

It worries her that Tenko is sometimes so far away, like she'll disappear at any moment. She doesn't want her to disappear because she likes Tenko now, though she was a bit strange at the beginning.

Tenko is nice and good and she teaches Rin how to navigate in this world through looking at your surroundings so that she can go anywhere and not ever be lost. Sometimes she even reminds her of Sesshomaru-sama who was always aloof and silent and it makes her smile.

Change is in the air.


	4. Cornered

The air is just warm enough in the mornings now so that sleeping outside is an option and because she knows she must be quite far from the village by nightfall, or whenever she gets tired, it has happened before that she's walked through the night, she wakes before the sun.

Outside the morning mist is still thick and it makes the village an eerie sight, in just a few minutes the sun will peek over the horizon and the hustle and bustle of everyday life will slowly begin again. A final look back and she's just about to leave when the sound of steps before her is heard.

It's InuYasha in all his cockiness and he's clearly heard her try to sneak away, so much for a smooth getaway.

"So you're just gonna leave huh?" he barks out and she knows it's a rhetorical question. Of course she was going to leave.

He smirks a little with a look that says `I don't think so´ and looks towards the hut "Hey Kagome!" a rustle is heard from inside and soon enough Kagome peeks her head out, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"What is it? I'm tired"

Tenko is almost scared, the meaning of such a display escapes her utterly, it feels like she's cornered and maybe he'll pounce. What's going to happen to her?

"Hey hear this, Tenko was about to leave without saying goodbye."

"Eh! Ten-chan was?"

So they're going to keep her here longer, of course they would, since they don't know the dangers. Maybe it was wrong of her not to inform them after all.

"You know Ten-chan that wasn't very nice of you, the least you could do is stay for breakfast" Kagomes words are pleading but her voice lacks all such pretences, it's stay or she'll make her stay but it doesn't make her mean or uncaring, just no-nonsense.

Tenko supposes it's a small price to pay for them letting her go and decides that staying for breakfast isn't such a long time and that she'll at least make it to the next mountain or so before nightfall anyways.

With a small sigh she resigns to the two forces of nature that those two can be at times and turns back to the hut to share her last meal with them.

Then she sits on the floor in the small hut and breathing hurts. Like needles forbidding her to take a single breath but she has to anyways, thus the pain. Something is wrong, very wrong.

It's coming and she's too close to them to ensure they won't be in harm's way.


	5. Urgent

Everyone inside the hut is surprised when she suddenly bursts out onto the street outside.

Panting with urgency she can feel a presence tearing at her. Something is coming here, it's a danger. She needs to leave.

No, it is too late, it has already arrived.

Whatever it is, the fear builds up like ice in that part of her. There is no escape anymore.

Her cry of anguish and frustration cannot be heard, she is already gone.


End file.
